Glanced

I was born just one minute after Tiara, but the world treated that one minute as if it lasted a lifetime. She was the star. I was the shadow. She was flawless. I was the afterthought. She was loved. I was forgotten. Even by Reagan de Russo, heir to the wealthiest family in the country and the man I had secretly loved for the past ten years. But to him, there was only Tiara. And when he proposed to her, I knew my quiet little dream had finally died. Until that day came. The day Tiara left him at the altar. The day the world stopped turning for just a second. The day the man who had never even glanced my way, turned to me and asked me to take her place. I knew what I was. An escape. A damage control. A backup plan. And I... I was too tired of being strong. So I said yes. We married. Without love. Without a future. Just a one-year contract and a life of make-believe in front of flashing cameras and watching eyes. But the longer I stayed by his side, the harder it became to tell what was real and what was just part of the performance. Because for the first time... Reagan saw me. But can love truly grow from the ruins of lies, old wounds, and the shadow of a woman who’s always been his first choice? Or will I always be… only the second best?

"She is not property. She is my mate and you will not mention 'her' like you're talking about a burnt banana peel."   My breath hitched.   No one had ever defended me like that.   Not once.   Kael glanced over his shoulder at me, his expression softer now, protective. "But it’s her choice. Not mine. Not yours." .......................................................... At just eighteen, Meeva Vale thought that she had found her fairytale ending, an Omega chosen as Luna by the Alpha of the Sinhound Pack. But six years later, her marriage to Alpha Jared has left her silenced, sacrificed, and stranded in a life that no longer feels her own.   When the powerful Alpha Kael Edgar of the Brawnstorm Pack storms into her territory to confront Jared over a broken trading treaty, everything changes. With a single glance, the bond between Kael and Meeva ignites. But Meeva is already claimed, married even.   But Kael doesn’t give two fucks.   He lays siege to the pack and takes Meeva with him, officially staking his claim as her mate. Her wolf betrays her heart, surrendering to him long before she does. What begins as a sinful passion quickly transforms into a deeper whirlpool.   With a dark sorcerer on their tail, their story is about to take a very unnerving turn.  

I gasped, shocked as he pulled me to his lap in the wheelchair, roughly. “M.mr. K.king,” I stutter, afraid and surprised. He glanced up at me, his grey eyes shining in an emotion I couldn’t place. “If you are going to pretend to be a doting wife to me, cooking meals and trying to make unnecessary conversations, then you might as well strip naked, get on the bed and let me perform my duty as a doting husband by damaging those walls in between your legs and trust me, my illness won’t be a hindrance,” he whispered against my neck and for a second I forgot I was married to a literal devil. A handsome devil in a wheelchair. **************** After an accident, Dexter King got confined in a wheelchair. A once admirable man turned sour, hated by all and even his fiance left him for his brother. After a marriage proposal he couldn’t refuse, Dexter and Aurora got married and Dexter promised within himself to make her life miserable. But what happens when Aurora is hell bent on healing his broken leg? And what happens when they realize the accident was all a plan? Enemies are definitely closer than Dexter thinks, and betrayals are bound to happen, but would everyone give up on him, including Aurora, who has her share of a harsh life from her family?

I grew up abroad. My mother feared I might marry a foreign man, so she arranged an engagement for me with a talented and handsome man in Flodon. She insisted that I return home to get engaged. I came back and started shopping for an engagement dress at a luxury boutique. I selected an off-white strapless gown and decided to try it on. Suddenly, a woman nearby glanced at the dress in my hand and told the saleswoman, “That’s a unique design. Let me try it.” The saleswoman immediately yanked it out of my hands. I protested indignantly, “Excuse me, I was here first. Don’t you understand the principle of ‘first come, first served’? Or do you just not care about common decency?” The woman scoffed and retorted, “This dress costs $188,000. Do you really think a broke nobody like you can even afford it? “I’m Lucas Goodwin’s sister in all but blood. He’s the chairman of Goodwin’s Group. In Flodon, the Goodwin family sets the rules.” What a coincidence! Lucas Goodwin was my fiance! I immediately called him and said, “Hey, your ‘sister in all but blood’ just stole my engagement dress. Do something about it.”

She was said to be the treasure in their kingdom, the white wolf pack. She was the queen's newly born princess. Born to save their world, she was forced to leave the extramundane life she would have when the clan of bloodsucking vamps attacked their peaceful kingdom in the middle of the night under the sight of the goddess of the wolf moon, Diana. Her protector, an ever witty brilliant half-wolf half-vampire sent her to the ordinary world. "She is the treasure. She must be protected!" However, covered with shining gold cloth, she was left alone in front of a wide huge iron gate of a blue blood family. "Something's sparkling in front of the gate, Jon!" Halley woke her husband up in the middle of the night. "Wait! Let me check!" the still drowsy man got up wobbling as he went outside and glanced at the snow-white skin baby with long candy corn hair and bluish-purple eyes. . "Whose the ugly baby?" rubbing his still sleepy eyelids, the sixth-year-old Vince asked his parents. "Don't you call her ugly? From now on she is going to be your baby sister. Her name is Arianna!" his mother gently answered as she stroked his head.

It was all her fault. My life could have been simple—40-hour shifts at KFC, sneaking extra chicken crumbs, and binge-watching reality shows. But no. Instead, here I was, standing at the altar, saying I do to a man whose idea of “casual” involved drugs, women, and murder on speed dial. Thanks, Mom. Not only did she ruin my life, but she also sold it—traded me off to the deadliest Mafia boss alive, Mario Santiago, as if I were some secondhand couch on clearance. Mario Santiago. Yeah, that Mario Santiago. The Human Terminator. The guy whose enemies mysteriously vanish like my paycheck two days after payday. And now, I was his wife. He glanced at me with a slow, wolfish smile that practically screamed trouble. That was when I knew two things: 1. I was completely doomed. 2. This man was going to wreck my heart (and probably my life). But hey, it could be worse, right? At least I’d get a killer wardrobe out of it. *** Are you looking for romance and humor? Stuck with Mario Santiago is a hilarious, Mafia billionaire romance filled with danger, betrayal, drama, and a love story you won’t forget. Dive in—you won’t regret it (but the characters might).

WARNING: This an extremely dark romance. **** Shivers raced through my spine at the dark, heated stares from them —the brothers I was about to pledge my body to. “Sweetheart, you need to know what you are getting into by joining the game,” Blue's voice startled me. I gulped as my eyes went to Fred's. His mouth went up in a smirk as his dark eyes roamed through my body. Desires and fear took hold of me as I glanced around their 'play house' I knew what I was signing up for by consenting to be their toy. Yet, I willingly took that step, to freedom, desire, and, worst of all —pain. **** As a journalist, Bella was determined to be the best. She was always taking jobs discarded or termed 'impossible' by others. However, she didn't know what she signed up for when she agreed to interview the Christophos brothers —wealthy men who live in an old house. She thought it would be effortless despite the number of journalists who had failed to get any info on the brothers until she stepped foot into the compound. Unknown to the unsuspecting woman, she was in for a ride of her life with brothers who might not be as human as they seem… The game is about to begin... And it's the survival of the fittest...

As I was about to leave my brother’s restaurant, the female manager stopped me. "Miss, excuse me, but you haven’t paid your bill." I looked at the unfamiliar face and thought that she was probably new and didn’t recognize me, so I explained politely, "Just put it on the owner’s tab. He knows me." The manager shot me a disdainful look. "Miss, this is a Michelin three-star restaurant. We don’t let just anyone run up a tab." She handed me a printed bill. I glanced at it. Fifty thousand dollars for one meal. Three thousand for tableware maintenance, five thousand for exclusive air purification, ten thousand for a VIP mood-calming service fee, and a bunch of other ridiculous charges. I didn’t even know my brother’s place was such a scam. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. "I’m the owner’s sister. If there’s a problem, tell him to talk to me at home." But she just wouldn’t drop it. "If you can’t afford it, stop acting like you can. And don’t act like you know Mr. White, either." I fired off a quick text to my secretary. 【Tell my brother to either fire this manager or I’m pulling my investment.】

"Who the fuck is this? Speak and stop stalling!" "This is…this is doctor Smith, sir." He stuttered, unable to swallow the fear oozing out. "I couldn't reach you on your other line, so I…" ~~~~~~~ "I've ordered for everyone present to taste the stale smell of prison for two months." "What?!" ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ "You dare ruin my nose? How dare you stand in my face?!" "I've tolerated you enough, doctor Magnus." "You have?" He scoffed. "Just because I refused to suck your finger dick doesn't give you the damn right to talk trash about me!" A gasp erupted from the mouths of the onlookers. The doctor glanced around the crowd now forming in groups as they chattered away indistinctively. "You're fired this minute!" "No, doctor Magnus, I quit!" ~~~~~~~ "No." "Sir?" "Didn't you hear me? I said no!" "No… to what exactly, sir?" "My son does not need such a kidney!" ~~~~~~~~ "Feed me first before I die of starvation from that pussy, Syntia!" Syntia gaped, freezing on the spot as Kelvin lowered his head and sucked her bare neck so hard that a groan erupted from her mouth. ~~~~~~ A wealthy toddler who attends an Elite Daycare fights for his life when his billionaire Daddy demands his health back. He says he wants an exquisite rebranding__will he find one? How will his decision affect his heir?

The stench of silver dust filled the air, and every breath seared my lungs. My broken body lay twisted among the jagged rocks of the abandoned silver mine, where even the strongest werewolf would feel their strength waning. Beside me, my mate’s first love, Sophia, whimpered softly. A shallow scrape marked her knee. The tunnel was collapsing. Only two people could pass through the exit at a time. Lucas did not hesitate to scoop Sophia in his arms and abandon me. His golden eyes, once filled with unwavering loyalty toward me, now burned with something colder—indifference. I reached out, my fingers trembling as they grasped the hem of his clothing. My voice was hoarse with despair. "Lucas… please… don't leave me here." “I am your mate. I’m carrying your pups.” He glanced at me with a clenched jaw and broke free, shoving me back onto the silver-laced ground. Agony burned through my veins, consuming my soul like fire. “Are you serious, Ava?! After pushing Sophia into this damn abyss and getting her injured, you still dare to compare with her.” “You know what?! You deserve to be left here and reflect on your mistakes!” With that, he vanished into the light, and the tunnel collapsed behind him. His words cut deeper than silver ever could, and the last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me was the sound of their retreating footsteps.